America Is Not The Land Of The Free, Its Discrimination Goes Unseen

There is a massive misconception that because America represents equality and freedom, true equality and freedom exist for all Americans. We assume that because slavery is outlawed and women have the right to vote that everyone is on an equal playing field and is content with their place in society. However, this could not be further from the truth. Americans of all minority groups continue to be discriminated against in their daily lives and the white power structure is very much intact and stronger than ever before.

The inequalities of today are arguably more dangerous than the overt legal inequalities of the past because today they often go unseen. Privilege is something many communities fail to recognize and the tiny daily differences among groups of people can leave a major impact. For women it's things as small as the way our clothing is sized, taxes on tampons, or the unnoticed comments by men in our lives. For non-whites, it infiltrates how they behave when walking down the street, applying for employment and housing, and how they raise their children. Immigrants to the United States today face a whole host of challenges, most recently having their children taken away from them. The LGBTQ+ community faces endless inappropriate stares, comments, and an inability to access life milestones like marriage and children that should be open to every human being.

The hard part is that fixing this kind of under the table discrimination requires that groups that are deemed superior relinquish their power. Those who live privileged lives struggle to recognize their privilege and definitely don't know how to give it up. Some Americans spend time arguing that inequalities no longer exist, while others work towards solving inequalities in ways that just breed more discrimination. Treating women special to reverse centuries of mistreatment just creates a further imbalance, assimilating those of other ethnic backgrounds into our culture just makes them feel more out of place, and as long as we fail to recognize the LGBTQ+ community as "normal", they will fail to feel accepted or supported.

Americans need to be open to being challenged by those who have lived a different life and know a different side of our country. We need to encourage conversation that educates everyone on minority rights issues and those who have lived a life of privilege need to make it their responsibility to learn just how lucky they are. It will take a very long time to create a country where everyone is truly free and equal, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our hardest right now.

The biggest problem is that whenever we recognize difference, we will create a hierarchy. The solution to discrimination is to stop creating groups and accept everyone as equal human beings and Americans. We need to rid ourselves of gender expectations, sexuality norms, race, and questioning ethnic backgrounds. We are all so much more alike than we realize and choosing to not see our differences makes us more likely to acknowledge similarities. The truth of it is we all have experienced discrimination in some way or another, and we can use our own small or large experiences to empathize with others, hopefully working towards a country and a world that sees everyone as a key member of society that deserves every opportunity to succeed.

Customer relationships are a core part of your business success. Many businesses that outperform their competitors are just more responsive in this area. By taking a more direct and proactive approach to managing your customers, you can open up a new avenue of success for your business. How can you display genuine appreciation to them? Here are tips and practices from customer service expert and accomplished entrepreneur, Gary Brewster in Oneida, Tennessee that you can adopt.

Event Sponsorship

There are many small signs of appreciation you can show to customers, but hosting an event provides significant evidence to customers that your business genuinely acknowledges and cares for their support. With these events, you can treat customers as guests - which can be a great way to elevate your relationship with them. After these events, you can follow-up with your customers, build upon that relationship, and gain additional insights into their expectations.

Customized Products and Services

Customers will be pleasantly surprised to see products specifically catered to their preferences. This shows that you do respond to their feedback and are appreciative of the information they provide. Also, you are reinforcing the fact that your business firmly puts a priority on their needs and is committed to elevating their experience. You can personalize your products through a couple of means, including offering them in certain colors, modifications, labels, and more.

Use Handwritten Notes

A handwritten note is one of the best ways to convey authenticity in your messages. When you use this medium for sending messages of appreciation to your customers, it generates a more positive response. In a world saturated with emails, social media messages, and mobile text, a handwritten letter can stand out. You can work with your team in organizing a schedule where customers are sent handwritten notes. These can especially work great for the holiday season as customers are more receptive to goodwill messages during this time.

Develop a Loyalty Program

While your business benefits form loyalty programs, they also make the customer feel more appreciated. For your most consistent customers, you are sending the message to them that their loyalty has not gone unnoticed and that you are truly grateful. When repeat business is rewarded, the long-term benefits will be valuable. Instead of merely creating a loyalty program from scratch, consider doing research and recognize specific purchasing patterns within your customer base. You can then highlight certain products they favor and make that the focal point of your loyalty program.

When it comes to maintaining a high standard of customer service, communication and goodwill are valuable. Showing appreciation to your customers is more than simply communicating with them, but also conveying a general sense of commitment to their needs. Your business stands to gain immensely by developing this unique approach to customer service. Consider adding more of these elements as you build your customer service strategy with your team.

About Gary Brewster:

Gary Brewster in Oneida, Tennessee is an entrepreneur and commercial roofing expert. Driven by building excellent relationships, he takes pride in providing the best customer service possible. As a business owner, his goals include delivering exceptional service, solving complex problems, and giving back to the community. Outside of the office, Gary enjoys spending time on his family farm with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

The 2020 Race Is Feeling The Bern

This morning, February 19, 2019, Brooklyn-born Bernie Sanders announced he is running for president once again.

Unlike his run in 2016, though, Sanders now joins a crowded field of progressive candidates, one of which is Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

In Sanders's own words, this campaign is "about taking on the powerful special interests that dominate our economic and political life". Sanders went on to say that this is a "pivotal and dangerous moment in American history," and "We are running against a President who is a pathological liar, a fraud, a racist, a sexist, a xenophobe and someone who is undermining American democracy as he leads us in an authoritarian direction".

In his interview with CBS, Sanders explained that it is "absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be defeated", and described candidates whom he is running alongside as his "friends".

Regarding policy issues, his focus remains the same as in previous years, planning to focus largely on women's reproductive rights, lower prices for prescription drugs, and criminal justice reform.

Sanders is also widely recognized because of his goal of universal healthcare. His Medicare-for-all bill that was drafted in 2017 outlines the establishment of a "national health insurance program to provide comprehensive protection against the costs of health-care and health-related services". According to estimates, however, such a plan would increase federal spending by $2.5 trillion a year.

When it comes to education, Sanders plans to make preschool for all 4-year-olds free, aiming to fund this plan through tax increases on the wealthy as well as Wall Street transactions.

More widely acknowledged is his "College For All Act", which would provide $47 billion a year to states in order to eliminate undergraduate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. Additionally, the act would cut student loan interest rates nearly in half for undergrads.

In terms of social issues, Sanders is pro-choice when it comes to abortion rights and opposes policies which discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, such as Trump's push to ban transgender people from the military.

The New York Times discusses the idea that the political field of the 2020 run might leave Sanders a "victim of his own success", in that the multitude of Democratic candidates are embracing policies which Sanders championed in the last race.

"Ironically, Bernie's agenda for working families will be the Democratic Party's message in 2020, but he may not be the one leading the parade," said talk show host Bill Press.

Moreover, victories by women, minorities, and first-time candidates in the 2018 midterm elections suggest that "fresh energy" is preferred by Democrats, which potentially poses a challenge for Sanders.

Conversely, though, Sanders is also starting off with certain advantages, such as a "massive lead among low-dollar donors that is roughly equivalent to the donor base of all the other Democratic hopefuls combined".

Donald Trump responded to Sanders's announcement by saying, "First of all I think he missed his time, but... I like Bernie. He sort of would agree on trade... the problem is he doesn't know what to do about it. But I wish Bernie well."

By and large, Sanders is another strong candidate, and it will be interesting to see if he can generate the same energy and support now that he did in 2016.